Home > News > MIT nanotube-based ultracapacitors may be demonstrated in a few months' time

April 16th, 2007

MIT nanotube-based ultracapacitors may be demonstrated in a few months' time

Abstract:
Work at MIT's Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems (LEES) on increasing the storage capacity of ultracapacitors may be demonstrated in the next few months, Prof. Joel E. Schindall told Le Figaro newspaper on 13 April.

Capacitors store energy as an electrical field, making them more efficient than standard batteries, which get their energy from chemical reactions. Ultracapacitors are capacitor-based storage cells that provide quick, massive bursts of instant energy. They are sometimes used in fuel-cell vehicles to provide an extra burst for accelerating into traffic and climbing hills, but need to be much larger than batteries to hold the same charge.